Disappointment is inevitable when you realize the new pair of shoes that you love has led to foot pain. After an evening of dancing or a long trail hike, your feet are miserable, and you wish you’d left them on the store shelf. Discovering a little bubble on your foot that has fluid in it, or worse, a broken blister that has left your heel or toe raw-looking and bloody, is a common foot crisis.
What Causes Blisters?
There are many reasons these fluid filled sacs could develop on your feet or ankles:
- Bites – Certain spider, chigger larvae, or bed bug bites can form blisters which may be itchy and painful, because your body reacts to the secretions the organism injects into your skin.
- Burns – Whether they are from the sun or other radiation, fire, friction, or contact with harmful chemicals, damage from burns can cause your skin to erupt in blisters.
- Contact dermatitis – Your body may have a reaction to ingredients in soaps or other products. Contact with poison ivy, sumac, and other toxic plants in the environment can cause this condition.
- Frostbite – When skin is exposed to extreme cold, it often reacts by forming a bubble filled with fluid where the skin is damaged.
- Health conditions – There are many infectious diseases that can result in pus or fluid-filled sacs, such as chicken pox, shingles, and psoriasis .
- Infections – If bacteria enter any break in the skin, they can grow and your body may form sacs of pus at the site.
- Injuries – A blood blister can form if the skin of your lower extremities is injured by a heavy object like a hammer
- Reactions to drugs – Whether oral or topical, some people cannot tolerate certain medications, and their skin reacts with rashes or blisters.
Friction Plays a Role
The cause we most commonly associate with blisters on the feet or ankles, though, is irritation from footwear. Any place where your shoe or boot rubs against your skin can start building up layers of skin to protect itself, and these can develop into a bubble with fluid in it. This is your body’s way of protecting itself against the irritation. If they are small, just using an antibiotic cream and bandage may be sufficient treatment, but if they are large or look infected, you will need professional help in dealing with them.
That’s when a call to The Plateau Foot & Ankle Clinic is in order. We will evaluate the problem, ask you questions about possible causes, and take a fluid sample to rule out other more serious conditions. We also provide safe, effective treatments for this and many other common foot conditions . Our office in Sammamish provides care for the Issaquah, Redmond, and Bellevue areas as well. Don’t let a blister slow you down. Contact us today by calling (425) 868-3338 , or requesting an appointment online .
